Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Evaporation of gasoline, solvents, oil-based paints, and hydrocarbons from the petrochemical industry are significant sources. One of the leading uses of chemicals that contain VOC's are products designed to dissolve or to alter the chemical or physical structure of objects. Household cleaning products to industrial solvents are examples of this kind of chemical.
The Federal government, though various agencies, sets standards for human interaction with airborne particles and chemicals. But many products are not regulated including many products used in the printing industry. Many chemicals compounds such as Formaldehyde, Methylene chloride, Benzene, which have known health risks, are found in many cleaning solutions as they exhibit the ability to break chemical bonds allowing for materials to be disassociated with those areas needing to be cleaned.
It is critical for the health of those people who need to be associated with, or in close proximity to, those compounds and chemicals that produce VOC, that those people are kept in well ventilated open spaces where the VOC can dissipate into the surrounding atmosphere.
It is unfortunate that as dangerous as VOC's for people, it is important to our atmosphere. Our Ozone is formed by the reaction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) in the presence of sunlight and warm temperatures. Ozone is found at two levels of the atmosphere, the lower troposphere and the high stratosphere. It is the overabundance of VOC causes too much ozone in the troposphere or photochemical (ground level ozone) or more commonly known as smog. This smog has many harmful effects upon the physical health of people, plants and animals. And because this smog is not always stagnant, the health problems to all concerned is spread over a large area. High level winds disperse this ozone and precipitation carries this ozone back down to earth in the form of acid rain. Unfortunately, there is no way to trade the over-abundance of ground-level ozone in the troposphere up to the stratosphere, to fill in the depleted ozone layer, the depleted ozone that everyone hears about.
Though automobiles are the largest source of VOC through the combustion of hydrocarbons in fossil fuels, cleaning solvents are a major contributor. Many municipalities are forging ahead with legislation ahead of the Federal government enforcing limits on VOC emissions and are mandating the use of low VOC solvents, paints and inks. Low VOC solvents are those that contain less than 650 grams per liter for use in automated cleaning systems. Industries Trade Groups such as Printing Industries Association (PIA) have stated that current regulation in Southern California will spread statewide and nationwide. In Southern California, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has implemented a plan of reducing the VOC limit to 100 grams per liter, far below the current limit of 650 grams per liter. PIA stated implementation will destroy the printing industry as company will not be able to use such ultra low VOC solvents in current equipment. This invention allows for the use of low and ultra low VOC solvents in current equipment.
In the past, as more solids are used to produce higher quality inks and dyes, stronger or more stringent solvents are needed to dissolve these solids from the printing blankets and associated hardware. In general using the current mode of processing, the stronger or more stringent the solvent is, the higher the amounts of chemical that cause VOC are present. The printing industry using high VOC solvents were not bothered by the amount of solvent used or sprayed, as the evaporation of these solvents into the air prevented many issues confronted when low VOC solvents are used. Printing inks and solvents with a high amount of chemicals containing VOCs dry more quickly, as VOC's evaporate into the surrounding atmosphere, allowing for faster printing times. Some companies that produce low VOC solvents calculate as much as a 25% greater drying time is associated with low VOC solvents as compared to high VOC solvents. Ultra low VOC solvents, those with approximately 100 or less grams per liter, will not evaporate under normal usage circumstances. As high VOC solvents evaporate into the surrounding atmosphere and off of the actual printed materials generated, catch basins, catch pans and storage bins were not engineered or designed to accommodate solvents that would now be present for a longer period of time with the use of low VOC solvents. Equipment was designed to allow for evaporative air flow to speed the evaporation process, using permeable seals and air gaps. Currently, water based inks and dyes are being developed and used that are approaching the equivalent quality of the high solid petroleum based inks. This allows for the use of low VOC solvents in the cleaning of equipment and blankets that are associated with the printing process.
It is especially a problem to use low VOC solvents in areas where there are tight tolerances between areas where the solvent is used and the actual printed material is located. Such an area is located at each stage of the 4 or more colors that are applied by printed or engraving rollers and printing cylinders in offset presses. These solvents are also used on single stage presses as well. This invention is designed to adapt to a variety of applications, though the best mode practiced here is in the printing presses industry. These cylinders rotate through as the printing media is feed past the cylinder in a syncopated manner. As part of each rotation of the cylinder, the printing plate is rotated through a series of various rollers that transfers liquids, paints, ink or dyes from their source eventually onto a printing blanket. There are devices that remove unused printing materials, dust, lint and various other impediments from the printing blanket prior to the application of more liquids, inks or dyes from the printing plate. It is imperative that the printing blanket is free of all foreign debris or “hickies”. The device called a blanket washer contains a wetting portion where solvent is applied and a cleaning section which is configured with counter-rotating brushes. It is the function of the cleaning portion of the blanket washer to remove such sediment, impediments and used paints, inks or dyes from this blanket. The blanket washer uses solvents to dissolve or reduce the adhesion of the particles on the blanket whereby the cleaning portion's scraper, wiper or counter-rotating brush can removed the particles and remaining solvent from the blanket. Currently, solvents containing high amounts of chemical that contain VOCs are used in the process as the VOC quickly evaporate leaving very little residue or waste liquid. Removed particles and remaining solvent once removed from the blanket falls into catch pans. Currently design printing equipment has designed catch pans to be of such a size to hold an amount of debris and solvent based on the high VOC content solvents. The amount of solvent in the catch pan is greatly reduced should it have the opportunity to evaporate as with high VOC solvents. Since the solvents were evaporating, seals that surround the catch pans were not hermetically designed or even tightly fitted with an interference, so as to prevent seepage. In fact, ambient air was free to flow as that increases the evaporation rate. As can be seen in the drawings and explanation disclosed in the specification of this patent, there exist very tight spaces for the various equipment to exist therein and as such increasing the size of the catch pan is not an option. It is further complicated by the proximity of the printing material that is passing directly under the catch pans, so that any excess solvent that could emanate from the catch pans will fall directly upon and ruin the printing media being transported through the printing press. Currently used permeable brush seals allow for seepage of this affluent out of the catch pans and onto the passing media but due to the high VOC content, the seepage quickly evaporates or never seeps out of the catch pan at all due to it's evaporation.
There are many instances of patented prior art that disclose the use of low VOC solvents and their advantages but fail to rationalize the problems associated with current equipment designed to take advantage of the evaporative properties of high VOC materials. U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,260 issued to Rhodes on May 27, 2003, is typical of prior art disclosing the formulation of low VOC solvents, which describes the use of a water based formulation as a solvent to remove ink in printing operations. Unfortunately, Rhodes does not accommodate for the collection of these excess solvents disposed into catch pans due to a lack of evaporative characteristics. These are some of the issues that are limiting the conversion of high VOC processes to ones using low VOC chemicals.
It is an object of this invention to create a method that will enable currently designed printing equipment to use low VOC solvents in the printing process to clean various pieces of printing equipment while using currently used collection devices without the opportunity for the escapement of the low VOC solvents from their disposal areas.
It is a further object of this invention to create a method whereby currently used brush sealing devices that are used to create a seal that can be adapted to function in currently designed or new printing equipment using low or ultra low VOC solvents.
It is a still further object of this invention to allow printing press operators to be able to convert to low VOC solvents and maintain their existing equipment without the fear of solvents damaging the very printing media being created in their current printing process due to now improperly engineered catch pans and brush seals.
It is yet another object of this invention to allow printing press owners to conform to the changing law, codes and regulations that are promulgating the use low VOC solvents which benefits the global environment.
In accordance with the objects of this invention and for the benefits and advantages aforementioned, the drawings, detailed description of said invention and claims will describe this invention.